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Coco Gauff saves 3 match points to reach Dubai quarters

Tennis: Cincinnati OpenAug 10, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Coco Gauff (USA) reacts after returning a shot against Wang Xinyu (CHN) during the Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

No. 3 seed Coco Gauff fought off three match points and advanced to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarterfinals with a 2-6, 7-6 (9), 6-3 victory over Belgium’s Elise Mertens on Wednesday.

Gauff overcame 16 double faults and completed the comeback in two hours and 18 minutes to improve to 5-0 against Mertens, who had match points in the second-set tiebreak at 6-5, 7-6 and 9-8.

“The whole match felt like it wasn’t going my way,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “It wasn’t the best, but I just tried to stay in it, and I did fight for every point. I’m happy I was able to get the result today.

“Elise is a great player, so I just had to stay settled. I knew I could win; it was just (a matter) if I could find my game. And I did a little bit at times, and sometimes I didn’t, but it’s OK.”

Gauff converted seven of 10 break points to set up a quarterfinal meeting with the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, who defeated Sorana Cirstea of Romania 7-5, 6-4.

Top-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan was trailing 7-5, 4-6, 0-1 against Croatian lucky loser Antonia Ruzic when she retired from the third-round match due to gastrointestinal issues.

Ruzic advanced to face No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory against No. 9 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.

No. 2 seed Amanda Anisimova needed only 70 minutes to complete a 6-1, 6-3 win over Indonesia’s Janice Tjen. She will meet fifth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva, a 7-5, 6-3 winner against Romania’s Jacqueline Cristian.

No. 4 Jessica Pegula defeated fellow American and No. 16 seed Iva Jovic 6-4, 6-2 in 77 minutes. Pegula struck five aces and saved the only break point she faced against the player she called her “mini-me” before the match.

“I think it’s going to be a tough match for me. Iva, we’ve never played, but I feel like she kind of plays like a mini-me, so it’s going to be tough,” Pegula said Tuesday. “(Iva’s) going to have nothing to lose, and she’s been really hot, beating and winning a lot of matches this year.”

Up next for Pegula is No. 12 seed Clara Tauson of Denmark, who won 19 of the 21 points on her first serve in a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Poland’s Magda Linette.

–Field Level Media

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Bryan Reynolds displays his dominance of Reds in Pirates rout

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh PiratesMay 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds (10) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Justin Berl-Imagn Images

Bryan Reynolds continued his dominance of Cincinnati pitching with a tape-measure homer and an RBI triple in support of seven strong innings from Mitch Keller as the Pittsburgh Pirates routed the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Henry Davis, who came into the game batting just .154 in 20 games, broke out of a season-long slump with two homers and three runs scored from the ninth spot in the order. Marcell Ozuna added a two-run shot and Nick Gonzales went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .333 for the Pirates, who snapped a five-game losing streak.

Cincinnati, which entered with a major league-best 10-3 road record, fell for just the fourth time away from home.

Keller (3-1) allowed only three hits and one run in seven innings, striking out six and walking just one on a season-high 104 pitches.

The Reds were held to three hits, two of which came off the bat of TJ Friedl. The Cincinnati outfielder collected the first hit off Keller in the third and doubled to open the sixth and scored on an Elly De La Cruz groundout.

The game, which was delayed 91 minutes at the start by rain, was played in raw conditions with temperatures hovering around 40 for most of the night.

In the Pittsburgh first, Reynolds crushed a fastball from Cincinnati starter and loser Brady Singer an estimated 443 feet to the shrubs beyond the centerfield wall for his fourth homer of the season.

Reynolds now has two home runs this season against Cincinnati pitching and 19 lifetime, the most against any opponent in his career.

Singer (2-2) was roughed up for four runs and seven hits over just 3 1/3 innings, striking out just one while walking two.

Pittsburgh has taken three of the first four meetings between the two clubs this season.

–Field Level Media

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Cards grab early 3-run lead, add on to put away Dodgers

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis CardinalsMay 1, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) hits a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson each hit home runs, Jordan Walker had four hits and the host St. Louis Cardinals extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

Matthew Liberatore (1-1) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings as the Cardinals returned from a four-game sweep at Pittsburgh to win in the opener of a three-game series and six-game homestand.

Walker capped his third career four-hit game with a two-run double in the seventh inning as St. Louis improved to 11-5 since April 14. Relievers George Soriano, Gordon Graceffo and Matt Svanson held Los Angeles scoreless over the final 3 1/3 innings.

Max Muncy had an RBI double and Kyle Tucker brought home a run on a sacrifice fly as the Dodgers lost their third consecutive game and fell to 5-8 since April 18.

Emmet Sheehan (2-1) gave up four runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings as he pitched at St. Louis for the first time.

Trouble arrived early for the Dodgers as Sheehan balked in a run during the first inning when he failed to inform umpires that he was switching from the windup to the stretch position during the same at-bat.

Six pitches later, Sheehan gave up the two-run home run to Gorman, his fifth of the season, as the Cardinals took a 3-0 lead.

The Dodgers got a run back in the second when Muncy’s double to the wall in left-center scored Andy Pages from first base.

St. Louis made it 4-1 in the third when Burleson hit a home run to right field, his fifth.

Los Angeles cut the deficit in half on Tucker’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.

The Cardinals took complete control in the seventh, getting Walker’s two-run double and a run-scoring ground ball by Nathan Church to take a 7-2 advantage.

The 12-hit game from the Cardinals came after they had 14 hits in a 10-5 victory over the Pirates on Thursday.

–Field Level Media

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Braves rally from 6-run hole, defeat Rockies on late HR

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Colorado RockiesMay 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) and infielder Ozzie Albies (1) celebrate after scoring during the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Michael Harris II blasted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the ninth inning, and the Atlanta Braves rallied late to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-6 in Denver on Friday night.

Matt Olson also went deep, while Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubon and Ronald Acuna had two hits each. Didier Fuentes (1-0) got the win in relief for Atlanta, which erased a six-run deficit and won for the fourth time in its last five.

Mickey Moniak homered among his two hits and Tyler Johnston also had two hits for Colorado, which has lost three of its last four.

The Braves, who trailed 6-1 after six innings, got a run in the seventh and then tied it in the eighth when Zach Agnos and Jaden Hill walked the bases loaded with one out.

Dubon tripled down the right field line to make it 6-5. Then came home with the tying run on Riley’s sacrifice fly.

Juan Mejia (0-3) walked Jonah Heim to lead off the ninth and Harris followed with his seventh homer of the season to give Atlanta the lead.

Robert Suarez pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

The first six Rockies batters reached in the first inning against Grant Holmes, and 10 went to the plate in the frame. Edouard Julien led off with a walk, Moniak singled and Hunter Goodman drove in the first run with a double.

TJ Rumfield followed with an RBI single and Tyler Freeman’s bunt single brought home Goodman to make it 3-0. Johnston’s single loaded the bases, and Willi Castro grounded out to first base to score Rumfield. Freeman came home on Olson’s errant throw to the plate.

Moniak led off the second with his ninth home run of the season to make it 6-0 but Holmes settled down after that. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and struck out four in his five innings.

Colorado starter Jose Quintana was sharp. He allowed just one hit until Olson’s homer in the fourth and scattered five hits over six innings.

–Field Level Media

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